Just before major canning starts, I’m putting up some hams

Our garden is jumping now and I’ll soon be canning big time, starting with carrots, mixed vegetables, and Swiss chard. But our local market had half hams on sale for .89 a pound, so I bought five and canned them up. I first roasted one at a time, just to heat the meat thoroughly. Then while I cut it up, I started another. I did two the first two days and the last one a day later, when I was tired. I used the nicest pieces to make inch thick slices to fit the jar, then large dices and finally small dices to use in mixed dishes. I find I use the diced ham most often, so I put up plenty of that. Every single jar sealed and my pantry shelves look great, all stocked up with nice ham. Now I’m waiting for the next sale or our fall deer!

Readers’ Questions:

Growing comfrey

Read the latest issue and I want to order comfrey. Where did you order yours from? We live in Mississippi; will it grow here?

Lisa Shook
Carrollton, Mississippi

Yes, comfrey will grow in Mississippi. In fact it grows well down into Florida and points south of that! I got mine the way most people do, from a friend. Ask around and I’ll bet you can find someone more than willing to give you a start. Comfrey does get invasive, though. For that reason, folks are more than happy to dig some up for you! I planted mine along the horse pasture, WAY away from my garden and orchard. If you can’t find someone to donate a few plants, you can buy it from Richters Herbs,

RICHTERS HERBS
357 Highway 47
Goodwood, ON L0C 1A0 Canada
Tel. +1.905.640.6677 Fax. +1.905.640.6641

Or type “comfrey roots for sale” into your browser and see how many results you’ll find! — Jackie

Grinding flour and cornmeal

I am wanting to grind my own flour and cornmeal, but in looking for sources online for wheat and corn it seems awfully expensive. In trying to calculate the cost it seems like it would be considerably more expensive than buying flour. Any suggestions for good sources? I have searched on the internet but mostly find the emergency supply places which seem to have good quality grain but are expensive. Did I see you suggest bulk popcorn to grind cornmeal in a previous issue?

Susan Ginnings
Georgetown, Texas

Yes. Popcorn, being a flint corn, makes good cornmeal and is cheap and easy to find (Sam’s Club, etc. in 50# sacks). I buy my wheat locally from our feed mill (Homestead Mills in Cook, Minnesota), and find that it is moderately priced. If you can find wheat farmers in your area, better still! — Jackie

Blemished tomatoes

I have a bunch of tomatoes. However, only a few of them are completely free of any blemish. Some have a small crack around the stem, a roughening of the skin on the shoulders, and/or other small imperfections. Can I can these slightly less perfect ones or do I just trim them up and use them in salsa, etc. I am afraid that when I get enough to waterbath can, the first ones I picked will be over-ripe. Thanks for your help and encouragement. (Love the new calf.)

Sandra Agostini
Nixa, Missouri

The canning books say “unblemished” tomatoes because they are afraid folks will can moldy or rotten ones and become sick. I cut away the less than perfect spots on my tomatoes, making sure that the tomato meat underneath is good. This works fine if you use common sense…which, evidently, many people seem to have lost!

P.S. The calf is doing great! — Jackie

Canning round pickles

My son brought me a huge bag of round cucumbers; they look like big softballs. I need to know how to make pickles out of them. My first thought was to make “stackers” to use the slices on hamburgers. I believe they can be canned like regular dills, but I am not sure. Please help as soon as you are able, because they are producing their little hearts out!

Beverly Robbins
Tallmadge, Ohio

I usually make chunk pickles (either dill or sweet) from oversized cucmbers. Usually the seeds are too well developed (and tough) for regular pickles. You can also grind them without the seeds and make various relishes. If the seeds are still small and tender, you can certainly make any sliced pickle you wish from them. — Jackie

Homemade laundry soap

Do you know if homemade laundry soap made out of washing soda, borax, and fels naptha flakes is safe to use as greywater on flowers, or safe for a septic tank for that matter? I read mixed info as to whether it is safe or a caustic, toxic chemical.

Sharon LeMay
East Bethel, Minnesota

My personal opinion is that I wouldn’t worry about using the greywater on your flowers; I have and have never seen a problem. I wouldn’t use it on vegetables or herbs though…just to be safe. All wash water can contain traces of E. coli and that isn’t a good bacteria for edibles! I think folks put much worse into their septic systems, but all laundry greywater is not good for septics, regardless of the soaps used.

I personally prefer to use homemade washing soaps if I have the time. Right now I’m too busy to mess with it, but I do miss my grated lye soap gel (mixed flakes with boiling water). — Jackie

Home canned goulash

I was wondering if you have a recipe for home canned goulash? (hamburger goulash with noodles)

Dora Soder
Curtis, Michigan

Good news! You can use your own favorite recipe for goulash to can. Just use fewer noodles than you would; too many will make too dense a product and the noodles do swell quite a bit during canning. Add them dry just before packing your jars. As goulash has meat in it, be sure to process your jars at 10 pounds pressure (unless you live at an altitude above 1,000 feet and must adjust your pressure to suit your altitude; consult your canning book for instructions), pints for 75 minutes and quarts for 90 minutes. Enjoy! — Jackie